


You shall pilot the Eva (False)²

by ThirdRateDuellistWithAFourthRateDeck



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Asushin, F/M, Misato please stop drinking your tearing you're own family apart and it is not good, Other Media References, Out Of Character New Game Plus, Slice of Life, genre change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27081688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirdRateDuellistWithAFourthRateDeck/pseuds/ThirdRateDuellistWithAFourthRateDeck
Summary: What if the Second Impact never happened? What if the Eva's never existed? Shinji is a quiet boy, he doesn't talk to many people aside from a small group of friends. Years ago he met a girl who came from Germany to Japan, 5 years later she left... Will Shinji remember her? You shall pilot the Eva (False)²I accidently posted this way too early so I had to redo it :( Luckily, no-one saw it, you aren't missing much though.
Relationships: Ayanami Rei/Ikari Shinji (Hinted), Ikari Shinji/Souryuu Asuka Langley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Asuka arrives

" _I didn't want to go to Japan -all those years ago- I wanted to spend more time back in Germany... The plane landed and before I knew it, I was starting school. I was 4 at the time trying to keep up with school, if I didn't my parents would shout at me... A lot. I met many new people whilst visiting, my father had been promoted so there was no choice in moving, _" Asuka started to fall asleep on the plane, the disconnected thoughts entertaining her mind for a while, "_ And here I am again, going to Japan, will they remember me? Shinji, Rei, Hikari?_" She thought before fully succumbing to her subconscious. She woke up to a tap on the shoulder, "Hey, you fell asleep!" A man said, smiling all the way. He had: Brown hair (Tied up into a ponytail), red tie, blue shirt and jeans and a messy stubble. He was holding a book, 'How to not suffer from memory loss' Asuka stared at the book as she got up, wondering why a man who seemed to be in his early 20's needed this book, " _Maybe he's giving it to his grandma? _" Asuka thought, attempting to wrap her head around it. Everyone got off the plane and Asuka started to got over her Japanese in her mind.__

Asuka walked out of the airport into the great big city of Tokyo, she looked around and sighed, "This definitely isn't where I'm supposed to be..." Asuka looked at the ground, she lifted her head up and looked around, "Ah!" She smiled running over to a Taxi, she jumped in it startling the driver, "W-where shall we be heading?" He asked as he calmed down. Asuka handed him a note and she slouched down in her chair as the driver began to drive, " _Now to relax..._ " She thought, a few seconds later she noticed three books sat on the chair next to her. She picked them up and, the driver noticed, "You're not from here, right?" He asked, "In case you don't know, that's manga!" He said smiling, "I happen to like this particular series," He chuckled, Asuka was considering shouting at the guy as she knew what manga was but, she didn't have the heart to be rude to such a kind man. The three books were from the series, 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure,' Asuka smiled at the weird artwork on the cover: Two men one with blonde hair and one with brown, the artwork wasn't the best she'd seen but it had a distinctive style, " _I guess this is entertainment for the passengers, _" She thought as she began reading.__

Meanwhile, Shinji was running home from school, he burst through the door smiling ear to ear, "Hello mom, hello dad!" Shinji said sitting down, he picked up a mug and stood up, "How was your day, Shinji?" Gendo asked, his face buried in a newspaper,

"It was great dad! Tomorrow there's gonna be a new student, she's from Germany," Shinji smiled, hoping it was... Her, "What's for dinner?" He asked as he drank the water he just poured, "We don't know, if we don't know by dinner time I think we'll have to go out again," Yui replied as she sat down, Shinji nodded and walked upstairs. Yui chuckled, "He's such a nice boy, right?" Yui said looking at Gendo, he nodded then he put down his newspaper. Upstairs Shinji was lying down, looking at the ceiling, "Well..." He whispered he had **never ******been this excited for school yeah, he liked it but he'd never been excited for it. The rest of the day past by with no problems, the thought of this new student eating away at his mind. The sun rose the next day and Shinji was awoken by a girl with blue hair, "Wake up, Ikari," She said, "Wake up," She repeated, slowly tearing the covers off of Shinji, "REI!" Shinji shouted curling up into a ball, "Don't do that again," He murmured, Rei smiled and grabbed Shinji's hand, "R-Rei!" Shinji tried to get Rei to let go of his hand but, she pulled him up then quickly pushed him down again blushing like mad, "Err... Okay then..." Rei responded calmly, slowly walking away,

"Sorry, I can't help it! I'm a guy, this tuff happens in the morning..." Shinji replied, Rei nodded and walked downstairs. A few minutes later Shinji walked downstairs fully dressed in: A white button-up T-shirt (Tucked into his trousers), black trousers and brown shoes this being the standard uniform for Shinji's school. The arrived at the school just fine, "Let's go inside," Rei suggested nodding her head sideways, towards the building Shinji nodded and they walked inside. They made it into their classroom, "Sup', Shinji?" Tohji asked, leaning on his chair,

"I'm fine, you?" Shinji replied as he sat down, the chair made an awful sound as Shinji pulled it out from under the desk. Due to this, everyone who heard it covered their ears, "I-I'm good, Shinji, have you heard about the new student?" Tohji asked , Shinji had sat down by then and he nodded, "Do you think she'll be cute?" Tohji asked, Shinji shrugged his shoulders,

"Look everyone! Ms Misato's here," Kensuke shouted as he looked out the window, Shinji and Tohji joined Kensuke at staring at Misato their eyes fixated on the woman. Rei sat down, "God I hate how they stare at that woman..." The girl sitting next to Rei murmured, Hikari was her name, she put her head on the desk and whispered something to herself, "Horiaki, are you ok?" Rei asked tapping a pencil on her desk, Hikari jumped up then quickly calmed down, "Pffft yeah! I'm fine, Rei, you needn't worry," Hikari replied, Rei put the pencil back on Hikari's desk and looked ahead as Misato entered the classroom, "Boys, rejoice! As we have a new student, please welcome ASUKA LANGLEY SORYUUUUUUUUUU!" Misato shouted, as if introducing a Rockstar to an audience of adoring fans, "Hello, everyone, I'm Asuka Langley Soryuu!" She projected her voice so **_everyone _ ****__**could hear, her smile seemed contagious reaching almost everyone in the room (Especially Shinji). Everyone greeted her, "Can I sit there, Ms Misato?" She asked pointing towards the empty chair next to Shinji, "Sure but, tomorrow-" Misato was cut off by Asuka running over to the chair and sitting down in it, "Hello, Shinji," Asuka said smiling even more,

"Hello again, Asuka," Shinj replied staring blankly at her, his face looking as if he'd seen something awful that he tried to forget. Everyone in the room gasped, "You know her!?" Tohji asked tapping Shinji's shoulder, Shinji nodded and looked back at Asuka, "It's been a while, Shinji Ikari," Asuka smiled, they stared at each other in awe, "Thanks for remembering me, Asuka," Shinji smiled, Asuka tilted her head and chuckled a bit, "I should be thanking you... Shinji," Asuka replied her hand holding up her head so she didn't fall asleep, if her head even touches a desk or bed while her eyes are closed she falls asleep, "Awww, that's so cute!" Misato said, making Shinji and Asuka's faces turn bright red, "Let's get on with the lesson!" Misato continued, her long purple hair swooshing around as she turned to the giant chalkboard, "So... Mathematics," Shinji and Asuka started writing down what the teacher was saying, they seemed to have the same upbringing, 'Do well in school, listen to the teacher and follow orders.'

The bell sounded, signalling the end of the day, "Shinji, can I speak to you after class?" Misato asked, this grabbed the attention of Tohji and Kensuke, "Lucky..." They whispered under their breath. Everyone left except Shinji, Misato walked up to him and sighed a heavy sigh, "Shinji, your mother and father e-mailed me. They're going on an important business trip, they asked me if I could take care of you for a couple of months," Misato explained, "I wouldn't blame you if you can't look at me the same way after this," She chuckled, she picked up a clipboard and wrote something down. Shinji and Misato walked out into the parking lot, the sky turned a faint shade of violet as the moon began to show itself, "Do you like music, Shinji?" Misato asked, holding up an album, Shinji nodded and Misato put it in.

They made it to Misato's apartment, it was rather spacious there was a living room, Dining room, 1 bedroom and a spare room. Shinji looked around, trying to fin his room, he walked into the kitchen and saw two microwave dinners on the table, "Are we really having these for dinner, Ms Misato?" Shinji asked, picking up the dinners he raised one eyebrow, "Ugh, yes we are Shinji!" Misato said in a semi-sarcastic tone, "Unless you can cook," Misato smiled, to her surprise, Shinji nodded, "So let's see here..." Shinji examined the ingredients in the food, "Hmmm, do we even have any of this?" Shinji asked looking into a cupboard, Misato shook her head vigorously, "No..." Misato sighed, Shinji chuckled a bit and put the small dinners in the microwave, "I guess we're having these for dinner," He murmured, a smile on his face, "We can always go shopping tomorrow right, Misato?" Shinji asked as the microwave started, Misato nodded.

Rei was walking home alone, this was a new experience for her as she'd always walk home with Shinji. The streetlights illuminated the dark path allowing Rei to see where she was going, she reached her apartment and entered, "I'm home..." She said to no one in particular, closing the door she felt a strange sensation of loneliness. No one lived with her but, she never felt lonely she had friends, after all. She dropped her bag and sat down on the bed, after a while she turned off the lights as she liked darkness, it calmed her down, after a while she started to drift off. Rei awoke in darkness however, not the darkness of her room but the darkness of a void, " _Rei, _" A voice said, it sounded like every voice in the world mashed up into one abomination, " _What do you need, whish for or want? _" It said suddenly, a hand reached for Rei and it took her hand, "_ Tell me, do not be afraid, Rei Ayanami,_" The voice trailed off and the hand let go. The world began to rebuild itself and Rei found herself in a suit, sitting in a small chamber with two handle-like objects, "W-what?" She asked herself__ she looked around to see a giant robot it was: Green and purple, massive and was fighting a weird creature. Rei assumed she too was in a similar robot then, the creature struck Rei! She woke up at that moment, in darkness but it was the darkness of her room. She stood up and turned on the lights, the dull light illuminating the room, "A dream..." Rei whispered as she laid on the bed once again, she closed her eyes.

Today was cold and dry, Shinji woke up, got changed and put on a thick coat, "Shinji? You there?" Misato asked knocking on the door, "Yeah! I'm tying my shoelaces," Shinji shouted back, Misato sighed a bit and walked to her car, 

"Just hurry up, okay?" Misato shouted before leaving the building, not soon after Shinji walked out and got in the car with Misato, "Sorry I was late, Misato," Shinji looked down. Misato chuckled a bit and began to speak to Shinji, "So, you know Asuka?" Misato asked, Shinji nodded, "Okay... How?" Misato asked as the vehicle approached the school, "Well... When we were really young, she moved to Japan and we became close friends," Shinji replied, getting out the car, it was cold, "Looks like it's gonna snow!" Misato said, Kensuke and Tohji were staring at Misato and Shinji, confused, "Hold up... What is Shinji doing with Misato!?" Asuka shouted pushing the two boys out of the way, she was surprised more then confused, "Shinji! SHINJI!" Asuka shouted, Shinji jumped, "What're you doing with Misato!?" She asked, Misato put up a finger and Asuka sat back down. A few seconds later the two walked in, "SHINJI!" Asuka shouted, "Again, why are you with Misato?" Asuka asked,

"Oh well, my mom and dad are on a business trip for a view months so, I'm staying with Misato!" Shinji replied, Asuka nodded. A minute later a random student walked in, "You're sitting in my seat," They said to Asuka, she shook her head, "Asuka," The student replied, Asuka looked away and closed her eyes before standing up again, "Well no I have nowhere to sit," She mumbled to herself,

"Sorry, Asuka," Shinji mumbled,

"Don't apologise, apologising for something you don't have to is idiotic," Asuka responded flicking Shinji's head eventually, Asuka found a place to sit and class begun. Eventually the bell sounded for the end of class, on the roof Rei and Shinji were talking, "Ikari…" Rei said, her eyes looking at Shinji, "It's going to snow," She said, smiling, she looked at Shinji, "Not much of a talker today, right?" Rei chuckled, Shinji shook his head. What was there to talk about? It was a regular bland day, absolutely nothing and Shinji didn't mind this; he wasn't up to talking to people today, he just didn't feel like it. Shinji sighed and tried to make small talk, "How are you today, Ayanami?" Shinji asked he smiled a bit however, it was barley noticeable, "O-Oh! I'm fine... What about you?" Rei replied, during the latter half of the sentence she closed here eyes, "Oh I'm fine," Shinji's cheeks began to turn pink, due to the cold, "Are you cold, Ikari?" Rei asked pulling out a scarf, Shinji nodded despite the fact he was wearing a thick coat. Rei handed Shinji the scarf, "O-oh thank you, Rei, my face is kinda cold," Shinji smiled and put the scarf on, it was soft and fluffy perfect for an extremely cold day like this one. Rei grabbed Shinji's hand, "It's a nice day today, right?" She said, 

"But it's cold!" Shinji laughed, 

"Oh well..."

The day ended and the streets were flooded with snow, Misato and Shinji got in the car and they were driving home when the car stopped, "Ms Misato, what's wrong?" Shinji asked, then he realised the snow was stopping the car from moving, "Goddammit..." Misato murmured as she slammed the car's steering wheel, "For fu-,"

"Misato, calm down!" Shinji shouted,

"Okay, okay... Calm down, Misato, calm down..." She whispered, a man knocked on the car window and Shinji rolled it down. The cold air entered the car, "Do you need help, ma'am?" A man asked he had: Brown hair (Tied up into a ponytail), a light blue shirt and dark blue jeans and a small messy stubble, "Yes!" Misato replied, she had a worried look on her face, "Listen! You push the car and I'll step on the gas, ok?" Misato explained, the man nodded and got behind the car. In no time at all the car was moving again, after a small shopping trip, they began to make their way home. Halfway home they saw Asuka sitting on a bench, freezing, Shinji tapped Misato on the shoulder, "Look Asuka's there," Shinji said, Misato pulled over and Shinji rolled down the window, "Hey, Asuka, what are you doing in the cold?" Shinji asked, Asuka blushed a small bit then she hid her face a small bit, " _Why do you care... Shinji? _"__ She thought, "O-oh! I... I just got a bit lost!" Asuka replied,

"Well then! What's the point in sitting in cold?" Misato shouted, both Shinji and Asuka looked confused, "You can stay with us, right Shinji?" Misato asked, "What!? Stay with Shinji!?" Asuka shouted, "What if he attacks me in my sleep, hmmm?" Asuka asked, 

"WHAT!? That wont happen, Asuka," Shinji shouted back, "Why the heck would you think that!?" He continued, 

"Hmph, you never know!" Asuka began laughing, "Ok ok, I'll go," She chuckled, she opened the door and got into the car, "Sorry about that!" She said, Shinji frowned, "I can't believe you'd say that stuff about me," Shinji replied, 

"Come on, Shinji, I've known you for what? 10 years now, I know you'd never do anything like that," Asuka responded, "Hey do you remember the time when..." Shinji and Asuka began talking. Misato wasn't listening or anything, she was just happy knowing that they were happy, "You say you have no idea where your house is?" Misato asked, Asuka nodded, "Okay, I don't want to waste your time," Misato explained. Eventually, they made it back to Misato's apartment, "So where do I sleep?" Asuka asked, looking about, 

__"Oh, you sleep in Shinji's room as: You can't sleep in the kitchen, the living room couch is too small as well as the room being kinda small anyway and there's no chance in hell I'm letting you sleep in my room," Misato replied, Asuka glared at her, "Don't give me that look, Ms Soryuu!" Misato yelled, Asuka backed down, "Well... Since we have only one futon..." Shinji said, Asuka gave him a glare, "I could give up mine," Shinji smiled, Asuka sighed, Misato laughed and a penguin walked into the room, "Ah! This is Pen Pen," Misato squeaked, "Isn't he just adorable?" She continued picking up Pen Pen and hugging him. Misato put Pen Pen down and he ran into a small fridge compartment, "Well what's for dinner?" Asuka asked,__

"Ask Shinji," Misato answered,

"Well?" Asuka asked, 

"Well judging by what Misato bought... We'll most likely be having Ramen," Shinji smiled, 

"Ok!" Asuka sat down and watched Shinji cook before pulling out a book, it was another volume of 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure,' Asuka began reading it, "Watcha reading, Asuka?" Misato asked grabbing the book, Asuka attempted to retrieve it but she failed, "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure..." Misato mumbled, "Oh god what is wrong with his arm?" Misato asked,

"I don't know! But, I sort of like this," Asuka replied, grabbing the book. Shinji placed three bowls of food onto the table and the same amount of drinks, "Sorry, I didn't know what you guys wanted to drink," Shinji said, nobody replied, so they started eating. A few minutes later, Shinji made it to the living room and turned on the television, "I cannot love you-" This was a love drama, Shinji switched channels for a while, " _My name is Giorno- And there we have it folks the wi- In the area of Ky- Hmf tastes like- _" The different channels spoke. Shinji turned off the television.__

The sun rose the next day and, Shinji woke up early. He walked downstairs and saw Misato drinking a beer, "Misato?" Shinji asked, worried, Misato jumped a bit, "Oh, Shinji, you sacred me! Don't worry, this isn't enough to get me drunk," Misato said, "I'm gonna get changed!" Misato walked back into her room. Shinji walked over to the counter and began to cook breakfast, a generic-style bacon and eggs the sizzling woke up Asuka, "What are you cooking this time?" She asked, flopping down into her chair, Shinji stuck up a finger, "Hey!" Asuka replied. After breakfast Asuka, Shinji and Misato got into the car and they drove to school, they all walked into the classroom and class begun. Math's was first, "Hey, Shinji, do you know the answer to question 12?" The student next to Shinji asked,

"Dude, Miss told you how to do it!" Shinji replied,

"And?" The student asked, Shinji sighed and ignored them. During the next lesson Shinji got a tap on the shoulder from Asuka, presumably needing help, "Are you even listening to this?" Asuka asked, Shinji shook his head, "Okay, can you meet me after school?" She asked Shinji nodded, Asuka grunted, "Say something!", 

"Okay then," Shinji smiled, Misato clicked her finger's angrily. School finally ended and Shinji and Asuka were in the corridor, "Why'd you bring me-" Shinji was about to say this when Asuka cut him off, "Thank you for yesterday, Shinji!" Asuka blurted out, "Thank you," She whispered, the words barley escaped her mouth this time around, "Well, you're welcome Asuka," Shinji grinned a tiny bit and he walked away, "Will you be able to make it home?" He asked,

"I'm sure I'll remember this time around," Asuka replied, "Until tomorrow, Shinji, Auf Wiedersehen!" Asuka smiled then she ran off, Shinji continued to make his way to Misato's car. He opened the door and got into the passenger's seat, "What were you and Asuka talking about?" Misato asked, this made Shinji blush, Misato looked over at him and smirked, "Well?" She asked, smugly,

"Nothing, Misato! She just thanked me for yesterday," Shinji replied knowing this would generate some reaction from Misato, he spoke up again, "Nothing more, nothing less,"

"I think I get it now, Shinji," Misato chuckled and pulled out an image, "This is a postcard from your father," Shinji read the postcard…  
_Shinji, my son, I'm sorry for not being able to bring you to mine and your mother's work place. Unfortunately, we cannot be home by the desired month (February 16th) I'm sorry, Shinji, how is it going with Misato? Yours sincerely Gendou Ikari ___

Shinji looked up and sighed, he smiled, "Guess I'm staying with you for longer..." Shinji sighed, today was Friday a day he liked. On the way home Misato went into a shop and picked up a movie, "Friday is film night, Shinji," Misato explained holding up a DVD case, 'A long way home' it said on the front. Misato got into the car with Shinji, "I used to watch this movie a ton as a kid!" Misato smiled and begun driving home,

"So it's an old film?" Shinji asked, 

"HEY! 1986 isn't that old," Misato yelled, Shinji looked surprised as he'd never seen Misato angry. When they got home they saw Rei standing in front of the apartment door, "Hello, Ikari, I'm here for my scarf," Rei said,

"Oh! It's inside I was going to give it to you but, I forgot to bring it," Shinji replied,

"That's okay, as long as I get it back," She smiled, Misato let them in and Rei retrieved her scarf, "How well did it serve you?" Rei asked putting it on, "Oh it helped me warm up," Shinji replied. Rei left and dinner began, "Oh you'll love this movie, Shinji!" Misato said as she sat down on the couch, "What's it about?" Shinji asked from the kitchen,

"Oh it's about a young couple who run away from their homes and, they go on a crazy adventure to create a new life," Misato explained, she put the disc in as soon as Shinji finished cooking. The two watched it intently, the occasional comment passing by, "Look, those two act exactly like you and Asuka," Or the tried and true, "Why the heck didn't they do [blank]!?" The movie ended and both Shinji and Misato where crying, Shinji wiped the tears off his eyes, "Wow," Was all he could say,

"Good, wasn't it?" Misato asked Shinji nodded. Meanwhile inside a small apartment building, Asuka lied on the floor eventually, she sighed and got up. She walked into the kitchen and started cooking something, after dinner Asuka sat down on a chair and began reading. A while after, Asuka fell asleep as she was tired. The sun rose once more and Asuka got up and ran over to Misato's apartment. Shinji woke up and saw Misato in a yellow crop top and her hair tied up into a ponytail, "Hey, Shinji!" She said, "What's for breakfast?" She asked, Shinji sighed and put a pan on the hob, "What we had yesterday, you look like a slob Misato," Shinji murmured just then, there was a knock at the door, "Hello there, Asuka, what brings you here?" Misato asked letting Asuka in,

"I'm here to se Shinji, Misato," Asuka announced, "Hey, Shinji, I was wondering... If you'd like to join me on my walk," She asked smiling,

"Walk?" Shinji asked as he stood up, 

"Every morning I go on a walk to stretch my legs, would you like to come with me?" She asked slightly annoyed, she turned around awaiting an answer, "Of course, Asuka," Shinji replied, putting his chair in, with a wave from Misato they both walked out. They began their walk and on their way, they encountered Rei, "What are you doing out in the cold, Ikari, Soryuu?" Rei asked,

"Why are _you _out in the cold hmmm, Rei?" Asuka asked backed,__

__"I don't know," Rei smiled, "How are you?" She asked,__

__"I'm fine, Ayanami, what about you?" Shinji replied,_ _

__"I'm fine, what about you, Soryuu?"_ _

"I'm doing fine..." Asuka replied, "Well let's go, Shinji!" Asuka said in a sing-song voice, the two walked off leaving Rei. After a while Asuka and Shinji made it back home, "Hello, you two!" Misato welcomed them, "How was it?" She asked, setting her mug on the table, Asuka seemed to be caught off guard by the question, "O-Oh! It was fine wasn't it, Shinji?" She replied and Shinji gave a small nod, "Good," Asuka murmured under her breath, "Do you want to stay with us for a while, Asuka?" Misato asked,

" _Should I? My experience with them wasn't too great last time... _" She thought to herself, "Er... Sure!" Asuka said, "_ Maybe it'll be better this time around...._" Asuka walked up to the chair next to Shinji and sat down, "Lucky you," Asuka said looking at Shinji. A while soon turned into a day and a bit, "Y'know, Asuka, you might as well stay for the rest of the week!" Misato chuckled at how much time the red head decided to spend at her apartment, for the most part, Asuka lived alone as she decided to come to Japan on a whim. Days before she convinced her mother to allow her to go to Japan, "You know what? Maybe I will stay here for the week!" Asuka said smugly. Night time had settled in for Sunday suddenly, Misato got a phone call! Two minutes later she came into the living room, "Shinji, Asuka, I've got to go somewhere," Misato said, 

"Where are you going, Misato?" Shinji asked, 

"I'm meeting an old friend," She said as she ran out the door. The silence in the room afterwards was deafening, the quiet sounds from the television soon stopped as Asuka turned the thing off, "Wonder who Misato's friend is," Asuka murmured. Hours passed by with the two doing nothing at all, aside from Asuka reading more JoJo and a random assortment of other books, Asuka decided to get up, "Hey Shinji!" She called out, 

"Yeah?" He replied, 

"Wanna kiss? I'm bored," She set the book she was currently reading down, 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,' Misato's apartment had many books from across the globe, translated of course, she walked over to Shinji, "Well?" 

"You want to kiss? Because you're bored!?" Shinji asked, a rhetorical question of course he heard loud and clear what she said, he didn't understand Asuka at all, "Yeah! Come on, have you brushed your teeth?" She asked, with a sigh, Shinji nodded, "Okay here we go, just remember, this means NOTHING," Asuka said before slowly putting her face into Shinji's, "Your breath is tickling me," Asuka said as she began to pinch his nose. They put their faces together and kissed for a solid minute, "Well how was it?" Asuka asked pulling her face away from Shinji's, Shinji didn't answer but instead he let out a large breath, "I-It was f-fine..." Shinji replied between breaths. Asuka sat back down and began reading another book, Shinji walked away extremely confused, it was nice to have Asuka back after all these years.


	2. Thursday 27th-28th November

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you dream, Shinji?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've attempted to make sure characters don't pop in and out too fast. I kinda just did what I wanted with this chapter, hence why it's so weird. I've also tried to make sure the reasons for characters turning up makes sense as well.

Rei was walking down the road, her thoughts keeping her entertained, "It's cold..." she murmured, "Very cold," Rei walked down the rode and arrived at her apartment. Inside she turned on the light, it covered the room in a sense of familiarity; she was no longer in that place, trapped inside a robot with nothing to do. She laid in bed, "Ikari, he was in my dream..." Rei began to fall asleep. She woke up in darkness, again, she sighed, " _No... Not again... _"__ Rei looked around as the world began to rebuild itself. She found herself on the ground, injured, in Shinji's arms, "Fine! I'll pilot the Eva..." Shinji shouted, the same giant robot from Rei's other dream loomed above them, it was standing in a pink water-like substance. Rei looked up at Shinji we looked distressed, he began to cry, " _What's going on? _" She thought moving her arms up, "_ If I know I'm dreaming, I should be able to do anything,_" She hugged Shinji, he stopped crying, "It's okay, Shinji, it's okay," Rei smiled. She woke up and looked around, "Pilot an Eva? What?" She said to herself. 

Asuka and Shinji were walking to school, it was a warm day today which was strange as it was winter. Asuka looked over at Shinji and frowned, "What's up with you, Shinji?" She asked Shinji didn't respond, "WELL!?" She shouted hitting him with her bag, "Answer me," Asuka continued, "Please stop this..." Shinji murmured, "Why'd you hit me, Auska?" Shinji asked, 

"You didn't answer me..." Asuka replied, "Are you hurt?" She asked, Shinji nodded, "Oh.. Well sorry," Asuka looked away, "Look! There's Rei," She shouted. Shinji waved and Rei walked over, "Hello, Ikari, Soryuu, how are you this fine day?" She asked her seemingly happy mood seemed to rub off on Shinji, "Ayanami! I'm doing great, what about you?" Shinji asked, 

"I'm doing great, Ikari," Rei looked over at Asuka, "And you, Soryuu?" She asked, 

"Why can't you just call us by our real names!?" Asuka snapped back, "What's with all this last name shit?" She asked, a little more calm now, "I respect both you and Ikari, Ikari respects me," Rei explained, "Shall we walk?" Rei asked, Asuka nodded and the three went off to school. Rei and Shinji stood on top of the school roof, "Do you dream, Ikari?" Rei asked, "When you fall asleep, do you dream?" She continued this time looking at Shinji, "Well sometimes I dream, not all the time though," Shinii replied, "What about you, do you dream?" Shinji asked back, Rei smiled a small bit, "Yeah, I do. I've had two dreams about you, Ikari," She replied, 

"Dreams about me?" Shinji blushed, 

"Yeah, they have these giant robots in them," Rei sighed, "I don't like these dreams... In the first dream I had I was attacked by a giant monster, in the second I was injured," Rei walked up to Shinji, "What kind of dreams do you have?" Rei asked,

"I dream about the future, getting married, starting a family, existential dread. The usual," Shinji replied, he looked down at Rei. Rei was strange, in a good way, he didn't quite know what he felt about her. All he knew was, he liked her, "Sounds interesting," Rei replied, "Who do you marry?" Rei asked, "I don't know, I wake up before I find out," Shinji replied, "For now, I prefer this reality," He smiled, Rei smiled too, Shinji was about to walk away when Rei spoke up, "Ikari… Erm," Rei stuttered, "Let's go to class!" She said, running towards the stairs. Shinji ran off, "Ayanami, wait up!" Shinji laughed. The classroom was empty, as Shinji, Rei and Asuka were the first ones there, they sat down next to each other, "Where do you think Asuka is?" Shinji asked,

"I don't know, Ikari," Rei replied,

"You know you can call me Shinji, right?" Shinji replied, 

"Okay, Shinji," Rei smiled,

"Guten morgen, Shinji," Asuka shouted happily, running into the classroom, "I snuck into the staff room," She laughed, pulling out a book, "What do you think it is?" Asuka asked. She opened the book, she didn't know what she expected, "Oh... It's a planner for Misato..." Asuka said, obviously disappointed, she slammed the book closed, "What did you think you were going to find in there, Soryuu?" Rei asked she stood up and walked up to Asuka, "I don't know... Maybe like a diary or something?" Asuka replied, "But no! It's this stupid thing..." She threw the book to the floor, "You seem awfully mad about this, Soryuu, we should return this..." Rei picked up the book, "Come on, Shinji!" Rei called out, Shinji nodded and stood up. Asuka sat down in her seat, "She didn't call him Ikari this time, today's going to be one of _those _day, isn't it?" She asked herself.__

"Do you know where the staff room is, Shinji?" Rei asked, looking around, "I know where it is, do you?" She asked walking slightly slower this time, "Yeah, of course I do! Wait if you know where the staff room is, why did you bring me?" Shinji asked he stopped moving completely, Rei looked away from Shinji, "I have my reasons..." Rei replied, "Come on," Rei began running towards the staff room. The two made it into the staff room, Rei set the book down and then, they heard a voice, "Ah thank you for coming in, Ritsuko," It was Misato, she was with a women, "By the way, do you want some coffee?" She asked,

"We have to hide!" Shinji whispered, Rei nodded and they quickly dived into a cupboard,

"I feel we should start the drills this afternoon," Ritsuko said before sipping her coffee, "How are things with Shinji?" Ritsuko picked up Misato's planner, "It's going great! Asuka has started living with us, she said she was going to stay with us for a week but I think she's going to stay for longer," Misato replied, Ritsuko raised one eyebrow and made a small gesture with her hand, "I don't think she has a home, or she doesn't like the home she has," Misato replied to Ritsuko's gesture. Ritsuko stood up and walked over to the sink, the water slowly dripping before becoming a giant stream, "Don't you feel bad, saying that?" She asked, washing out her mug, silence fell upon the room, "Assuming someone's home life?"

Asuka felt a strange feeling, she felt like she was about to cry. She didn't, she thought about it for a second; she felt like crying, there wasn't any reason for it everything was going great in her life, right? She moved to Japan, her best friend still remembers her, she's having fun in her life. So why is she going to cry? Why? Why is she crying now? Asuka put her head on the desk, maybe this was every single time she hid her emotions coming back to bite her? The desk was wet and salty. She thought about her friends for a moment, the friends she 'abandoned' the friends she lost. She smiled and sat up, "How long are they gonna be?" She asked herself. Meanwhile Shinji and Rei were listening into Misato and Ritsuko's conversation, "So yeah, that's all for today! I'll have my assistant call you if anything happens, okay?" Ritsuko asked Misato nodded, "See ya later, Ritsuko!" Misato called out, she got up and walked over to the cupboard that contained Shinji and Rei, "You can come out now," Misato opened the door to a terrified Rei and Shinji, "I could see your bright blue hair from anywhere, Rei," Misato said,

"We came to return your planner, Sor-" Rei suddenly felt Shinji's hand over her mouth,

"We found it on the floor in the hallway!" Shinji said, "Come on, Rei," The two walked out,

"why'd you do that, Shinji?" Rei asked,

"I'd like you to live a little longer, how do you think Asuka would react if she found out that you snitched on her?" Shinji asked, Rei didn't answer, "Yeah, exactly!" Shinji grabbed Rei's hand, "Come on," He smiled. The two into the classroom, Touji and Hikari looked up at Shinji and Rei, "Oh hello there!" Hikari said,

"Nice one, Shinji!" Touji laughed, pointing at Shinji and Rei's hands, Shinji tried to let go but Rei tightened her grip. Shinji looked confused, obviously, if that happened to you wouldn't you be confused? Rei finally let go, "Sorry, I didn't realise... I didn't realise I was doing that..." Rei said looking away, "Suuuure," Asuka walked up to them, "That was definitely a mistake, you didn't mean to do that, riiiiiight?" Asuka said sarcastically, Shinji wasn't sure if he liked Asuka's sarcasm or if he hated is. She was an enigma to Shinji, "What's with you?" Shinji asked. He expected a blow to the head, that didn't come, "God, you're dense..." She answered, a smug smile on her face. Shinji and Rei sat down, the rest of the class trickled in; afterwards, Misato walked in with the man who helped her and Shinji out of the snow, "So I'm here with Ryoji Kaji, you shall call him Mr Kaji, and he's here to talk you through some future drills," Misato sat down and spread out her hand towards the class, she moved it in a sweeping motion for a while, Kaji began "So first off, bomb threats: If an area is ever about to be hit by a bomb, everyone in the area and surrounding shall evacuate. No belongings are to be taken. Otherworldly threats: If something not from this world were to attack, everyone shall go to their designated bunker-" 

"Otherworldly threats?" Questioned Hikari, "Aliens don't exist, even if they did why would they attack us?" She asked, 

"Well... Just in case, I guess! Anyway, no belongings are to be taken except your student ID card, if you're a student, each bunker can hold 1to 200 people. These two drills will be put in place tomorrow, today if need be, in addition to your regular school procedures," Kaji was about to walk out, "If any of you have questions about these drills, feel free to ask after school as I'm here all day," Kaji said before walking out, Hikari sighed, "Hey, Asuka!" She called out, she turned around. Hikari placed her fingers on top of her eyebrows and stuck her tongue out, "Look I'm an alien! You better watch out," She laughed, 

"Good one, Hikari," Asuka said blankly. Hikari frowned and sighed,

"Why so gloomy, Asuka?" She asked, she noticed Asuka staring at Shinji, "Ooooh! Thinking about Shinji, eh?" Hikari teased. Asuka glared at Hikari, Hikari could've sworn that look could kill mosquito's, "No, the last thing I'd like to think about is Shinji," Asuka replied, she looked back at Shinji, "Are you sure? Or maybe you're looking at the dude next to him," Hikari leaned forward, "Which one is it, Asuka?" Hikari pestered. Asuka wanted nothing more then to make Hikari disappear every now and then, "SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR NONSENSE!" Asuka shouted, the entire class was staring, "Asuka Langley Soryuu, I think you better see me after class," Misato announced, fire in her eyes. While Asuka was getting chewed out by Misato, Rei and Shinji were talking outside, "Forgive me if this sounds creepy, but you smell nice, Ayanami," Shinji said before immediately putting his arms up to block an incoming attack, no attack came, "Thank you, Shinji, you smell good too," Rei smiled, "Huh? Why are your arms up, Shinji?" Realisation hit Rei like a truck, a cold large truck, "You thought I was going to hit you?" She asked, Shinji nodded. Rei stood up, "You know I'd never hit you, right?"

"I know it's just that Asuka-"

"What!? What has she done to you? How many times has she hit you?" Rei asked, one question after another, 

"She doesn't hit me all the time, she slaps me when I accidently do something perverted," Shinji looked down, "It's not that big of a deal..." Shinji looked at Rei. The two walked inside, "Shinji!" Asuka shouted, "Sorry I'm late, Misato was too busy chewing me out," Asuka explained. Rei looked over at Asuka, "I heard you hit Shinji a couple of times," She said, Shinji could admit: This was unnecessary, "You shouldn't hit people!" She shouted, she looked at Shinji, "Come on, Shinji," Rei ordered, Shinji obliged. Asuka followed the two out, 

"Look at you two! Being all buddy buddy," Asuka said in response to the conversation that started between Shinji and Rei, Shinji looked over at Asuka, "What's with you Asuka?" Shinji asked calmly, Asuka was surprised by this sudden boost of confidence in Shinji (While yes it was a strong boost, it was out of character for Shinji to ask this sort of question) She crawled up to him, "You and Rei just seem to be happier then usual, I assumed it was because you two were talking together," Asuka looked away, "I didn't mean to hurt you," She mumbled, Shinji chuckled a tad bit, "You didn't do anything, Asuka," Shinji gave Asuka a light hug. Asuka lightly pushed Shinji away, the bell rang. 

Asuka, Shinji and Rei bumped into Mr Kaji, "O-Oh!" Asuka said surprised, "I saw you on the plane a couple weeks ago!" She pointed at the man, "Yeah you did, was finishing up some business in Germany," Kaji said before walking off. The three nodded slightly and walked into the classroom, "Hello, Misato!" Shinji said, Misato waved and the group sat down. Rei sat next to Shinji, "You don't sit there, Ayanami," Shinji said, 

"I do now, if Misato will let me," Rei gave a slight smile,

"No, we have seating plans for a reason," Misato replied. Rei nodded and sat in her regular seat, "God, you guys are early!" Misato looked at the time, "I'm guessing that's a good thing," Shinji murmured, " _Ayanami's acting strange today... _" Shinji thought to himself, Shinji waved at Rei and Rei waved back enthusiastically. Shinji wasn't going to lie to himself, this creeped him out a lot. He was used to a Rei that didn't show many emotions however, he did like this change somewhat (Even though it creeped him out) He didn't if the way he thought about Rei was exactly moral or not. The school day went on as usual, after the day ended Misato dropped Shinji and Asuka off at her apartment, "Listen, I'm meeting up with a friend again," Misato didn't get to finish her sentence,__

"So don't try anything funny," Shinji and Asuka said in unison, Misato nodded and walked to her car, driving towards the restaurant she was meeting her friend at. A few minutes later Misato met up with Ritsuko, "So how have you been, Katsuragi?" Ritsuko asked before sipping her coffee, "It's been fine, I trust you're doing good?" Misato asked back, Ritsuko nodded, "Ah that's good to hear," Misato mumbled. A waiter came over to take their order, afterwards Misato and Ritsuko began talking again, "How are things at your workplace?" Misato asked, 

"Can't say," Ritsuko replied,

"What, why?" Misato asked, 

"I'm not allowed to tell you, that's how secretive they are," Ritsuko sipped her coffee, "I can tell you however, their coffee is the equivalent to walking into a room and forgetting why you're there," Ritsuko chuckled, Misato looked confused as she tried to wrap her head around what that meant, "On a different note: Ryoji is annoying, right?" Misato asked, 

"Let me guess, he tried flirting with you?" Ritsuko asked, Misato nodded, "Yeah, he does that to tons of women... He means well though," Ritsuko smiled, "Yeah I figured, do you just go by all the schools in the area?" Misato asked, 

"Yes, these procedures are nation wide," Ristuko replied. The waiter arrived with the two's food, "Thank you so much," Ritsuko said. They began eating, the occasional comment passing by (Always followed by a nod by one of the two) After a while, Misato and Ritsuko finished and left the restaurant, "We shall test out these drills again tomorrow, okay?" Ritsuko stated. Misato finally arrived at her apartment, she saw Shinji and Asuka sleeping on the floor, "Asuka..." Shinji murmured. Misato sighed and walked into her room. Tuesday 28th of November, it was another cold day. The doorbell rang, Misato answered the door, "Oh hello, Ms Misato, do you mind if Shinji walks to school with me?" Rei asked, she seemed in a particularly good mood (Just like yesterday) Shinji came rushing to the door, "Sure I'll go!" Shinji replied,

"Not so fast you two, we've gotta see if Asuka's okay with this," Misato said, "Asuka ar-"

"Yeah sure," Asuka shouted back, "I'll go with you, Misato!" When Misato looked back Rei and Shinji were gone. Rei looked over at Shinji, she got closer to him, "Shinji..." She whispered, "Shinji, do you..." She trailed off, 

"Do I? What?" Shinji responded, he looked over at Rei, "You're acting really strange, Rei, you're showing more emotions then usual," Shinji laughed, "I guess I'm just in a good mood," She replied. What seemed to be ice was forming on the ground, the gardens of houses were covered in frost and the sky was grey. When they made it to school, it began to snow heavily. It was just as cold inside as it was outside, almost everyone in the classroom was shivering, "Man it's cold..." Toji mumbled, Kensuke silently agreed. Misato walked into the classroom, she looked around, "Ah! Good morning everyone," She said, Asuka walked into the classroom. Class begun, Shinji sighed, Asuka looked mad. Then again, what else is new? Misato stood up, "Okay so..." Asuka decided to block out Misato. 

The hallway was long, dark and quiet. Rei was walking down it, each step she took revealed more of the hallway. It was silver, on the walls were lights that didn't emit any light, lockers occasionally littered the walls. Rei woke up to an empty classroom, Shinji was stood at her desk, "Ayanami! You're finally awake," Shinji smiled,

"O-oh! I guess I really was knocked out," Rei replied, she stood up and the two walked out,

"It's not like you to sleep in class, Ayanami," Shinji gave Rei a worried look, "Did you get any sleep last night?" He asked,

"No, I couldn't get any sleep last night..." Rei yawned. Shinji laughed, hopefully Rei'll get more sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little shorter then the first one, I'll attempt to make the next one longer. As always, criticism is welcome


	3. What do you want, Rei?

Shinji, Asuka and Misato made it back to Misato's apartment, it was late, Shinji was thinking about Rei: About how out of character she was, how kind she was and how she slept in class. (Which can be lumped under the "Out of character point.") Asuka despised Rei, not because she was, 'Taking her Shinji,' Because that's stupid and cliché. She hated how lifeless she seemed, she seemed like a doll to her. Her almost unchanging face made her sick, similar problems plagued Shinji: His face didn't change, most things he said were pretty much monotone, he apologised for everything and he was boring. One time Misato was out, and Asuka suggested drinking some of Misato's beer, "No, it's hers. What would happen if we got drunk?" Was the response, absolutely pathetic was what she thought of that reply. She couldn't bring herself to hate him, however; These weren't intrusive at all, for the most part, plus he at least had some semblance of a personality.

When they made it inside, Misato hugged Pen Pen. Asuka and Shinji walked into the living room, "Hey, Shinji, wanna stay up all night?" Asuka asked this the previous day, the answer was no as it was a school night, "Er..." Shinji was thinking, the only consequence to staying up so late was sleeping at random hours of the day, so he decided to answer honestly, "Yes, let's do it," Shinji smiled, Misato dived in and hugged the two, "Staying up all night, eh? I haven't done this since I was young," Misato screamed, "Can I join? Can I join? Can I join? Can I join? Can I join?" Misato rubbed her face into Shinji's shoulder, "O-oh, sure..." Shinji replied. It was around six, meaning it was dinner also meaning Shinji had to cook dinner. Asuka hugged Shinji from behind, "Heya Shinji!" Shinji dropped the knife he was holding, "So... My birthday is coming up in five days, what have you got me?" Asuka asked,

"W-Well... If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!" Shinji chuckled and picked up the knife, thoroughly washing it. Shinji pushed Asuka away, Asuka clung on lightly for a bit, "Oh I see, you didn't get me anything! I see how it is..." Asuka smiled and grabbed Shinji's wrist, "You're an idiot, Shinji," Asuka let go of Shinji's wrist, she sat down and pulled out a book, "God, I haven't eaten anything all day..." She muttered, Misato walked in, 

"What's for dinner?" She asked, 

"We're just having a bunch of stuff," Shinji replied, he stood up, "It'll take a while," Shinji stood up and started cooking once more, the pan began sizzling as he started stirring the contents of the pan. after many hours, dinner was ready, "This is great, Shinji," Misato said as she shoved food into her mouth, "Thank you, Misato," Shinji replied. Asuka stood up,

"Thank you, Shinji, I'll be in the living room," Asuka turned on the television, some cheaply made drama began to play. Cheaply made, yes, but Asuka had to admit: The story was pretty good. She started watching, completely engrossed in the story, "Hello, Asuka," Shinji sat next to Asuka, she looked at him, "Erm... What are you watching?" He asked, gesturing his head towards the television, Asuka rolled her eyes, "Just some silly drama..." She replied. Misato walked into the room and sat down between them, "So, are you two ready for an all-nighter? No sleep at all," Misato asked, the two nodded. Night finally struck and all the lights were turned off, except for a couple of lamps in the living room. Asuka and Shinji sat next to each other and Misato sat in front of them, "Okay... More beer!" Misato said, getting up. Shinji ran into the kitchen, and blocked the fridge,

"No, Misato, you've already had about twenty beers so far! Yes, I counted," Shinji guarded the fridge with his life. Misato attempted to shove Shinji out of the way, she would've succeeded if it wasn't for Shinji holding the fridge tightly. Misato gave up and walked back to the living room, "Well, you tried!" Asuka chuckled, Misato nodded and passed out; She was too tired, so much for staying up all night! Asuka looked at Shinji, he had grown slightly taller over the years. She had the distinct memory of having to look down at Shinji (Around when they were 5) However, she has to slightly look up at him. It felt like these memories happened just yesterday. Asuka sighed, "So... How are things?" Asuka asked, 

"Fine fine... Everything's been better ever since you arrived, probably because... Well... You're my friend!" Shinji smiled, this smile, only this one as the other smiles probably only exist in the fourth dimension because of how small they are, seemed like sunshine to Asuka. She crawled closer to Shinji, "Just your friend?" She asked,

"You're my best friend, I mean I've known you for a long time," Shinji replied, he hugged Asuka, "I mean you did leave for nine years so that might be a mark," Shinji whispered. He let go of Asuka and walked into the kitchen, "Want anything to drink?" Shinji asked as he poured himself a glass of water. Asuka stood up and got out another glass, "I'm fine with water at the moment..." Asuka yawned, the two got their drinks and sat down. The dim light in the room made the place seem welcoming, Asuka and Shinji sat in the middle, in the corner of the room was a dark corridor that lead to a small area which lead to the bedrooms. It was dark. The room had a slight yellow tint due to the lamp, Misato was sleeping on the floor. Shinji finished his glass and put it on the floor next to him, "Shinji, are you okay?" Asuka asked, Shinji did look a little sad, "O-oh yeah! I'm fine, you?" Shinji asked back, obviously Asuka cared for Shinji but this just seemed... Strange, 

"Oh good," Asuka looked around, "That's strange... Shinji, did you see anything?" Asuka asked,

"No, what do you mean by that?" Shinji replied,

"I saw something in there..." Asuka pointed at the dark corridor, Shinji looked back and crawled back a tiny bit, "What, are you scared? I DARE you to go in there," Asuka teased, slightly pushing Shinji towards the general direction of the corridor. Shinji stood up and walked into it and turned to face the smug ginger, "There, Auska, there's nothing he-" He was then grabbed by something, it had really clammy hands. Whatever this thing was shook Shinji around, like a ragdoll on fire, Asuka and Shinji screamed at the top of their lungs, "You... You shouldn't've... Haha... C-come her-ahahah," The thing fell over while laughing, "You should've seen your faces! Pfft," It sounded like Misato, it was Misato. She stood up and took off her hood, "M-Misato! What where you doing?" Shinji jumped back into the living room,

"Heh!" Asuka laughed, "This was all my idea! It took some convincing, but we got there in the end," Asuka continued, Shinji sighed and pinched his nose, "Well done... You got me," Shinji sighed and sat back down, "I thought you went somewhere, Misato," He murmured. Asuka turned on the television, "So, what do you guys wanna watch?" She asked as she lied down,

"I don't know..." Shinji replied, he looked down at Asuka,

"You're rubbish, you are!" She responded, in a half-joking manner. Asuka sat up and sighed, she looked over to Misato for suggestions who quickly gave a bored response, "Just put on whatever..." The night passed quickly, morning came and Shinji woke up on the floor. He got up, Asuka suddenly grabbed onto Shinji's leg, "Shin...Ji..." She mumbled as she slept. Shinji attempted to shake her off, she wouldn't budge; Her grip was tighter then a rope wrapped around a tree. He decided to drag Asuka with him on his quest to turn of the lamp in the corner, he succeeded in his quest! His reward? A room filled with sunlight. Asuka woke up slowly, her eyes then widened, "Ack! What are you doing? What am I doing!?" Asuka let go of Shinji's leg before standing up, "You dragged me across the floor, didn't you?" She screamed, Shinji nodded and walked to the kitchen, "Say, what do you want for breakfast?" He asked,

"I don't really care, as long as it's good..." Asuka replied, she walked into the kitchen and sat down. Misato woke up a few minutes later, then the two walked into their joint bedroom, "What were you dreaming about, Asuka?" Shinji asked, absentmindedly. Asuka looked over and made a small gesture with her head, "When I was dragging you across the floor, you muttered my name..." The brown haired boy fell onto his back and sighed not long after he said that, Asuka smiled before making a slightly disgusted face, "M-more like a nightmare! It was disgusting," Asuka lied. The room was silent for a while. Rei was walking outside, thinking. She stopped and tried her best to remember the dream she had last night... _Rei looked over and saw five things: An orange sea, a creature impaled on a cross, a floating red robot and the purple and green robot holding a person. She could tell that the boy was saying something, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. The purple and green metallic giant squeezed the fist it was holding the boy in, the boy's body was crushed and his head fell into the orange sea... _Rei sat at a bench, trying to figure out what these dreams meant.__

It began to snow, but none of it settled due to the rain last night. Asuka looked out of the window and then looked over to Shinji, he was sitting next to an empty chair (The chair being Asuka's) The red headed girl sat back down next to Shinji, "What's up, idiot?" Flipping her red hair behind her ear, "When will you stop calling me that?" The boy replied, 

"When you stop being an idiot," Asuka replied, a grin plastered across her face. The blue eyed boy sighed and tugged at his friends hair in retaliation, a grave mistake, "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR, IDIOT!?" Asuka slapped Shinji across the face, it left a red mark, "YEAH I CALLED YOU AN IDIOT, BUT THAT'S NO REASON TO HURT ME! BESIDES IT WASN'T AN INSULT, IT WAS FACT!" She screamed, Shinji could've sworn that he saw fire surrounding her. Then an angry Misato walked into the room, her hair was in a mess and she was wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts, "What's wrong, Misato?" Asuka and Shinji asked in unison,

"I've been called into the meeting at work..." The woman answered before sighing, "On my day off..." She left the two children behind, and Asuka continued yelling, "ANYWAY, BACK TO MY HAIR! THAT HURT GODDAMIT! HURT!" Shinji sighed, he didn't pull her hair that hard right? Apparently so. Then the red headed girl stopped when she noticed Shinji's smile, "You were enjoying this, weren't you?" Her friend looked up and shook his head, "It's just that... You haven't changed a bit," Shinji grabbed Asuka's hand, "Or maybe I'm remembering you wrong, it has been nine years after all," The German girl blinked a couple times, Shinji tried to remember a couple times where Asuka was like this: There was one time where she did her best to slap him when he touched one of her crayons, another where she shouted at him for bumping into her and the last one was where she repeatedly called him an idiot. He realised how long he was holding Asuka's hand for, and he tried to move it, "Nine years..." Asuka looked over at Shinji, she felt something in her heart... Was Hikari right? Did she really like him? She saw him as a friend but in recent times she started to care for him, with slight hesitation she spoke up, "It feels weird to say, especially now, but I missed you," She allowed her friend to let go of her hand, it wasn't until she mentioned it and when Shinji thought about it... They seemed to of missed each other, despite only having fuzzy memories of each other.

Then there was a ring at the doorbell Shinji got up and answered the door, it was Rei, "I wanted to see you, Shinji Ikari," She said blankly, "You'll be pleased to know that my sleep schedule is getting back on track," Shinji smiled and gestured towards the inside, the pretty much lifeless girl walked inside, she sat down on the chair opposite of Shinji and Asuka, "How have you two been?" She asked, the ginger girl in front of her answered first, "Wouldn't you like to know?" She closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, Shinji chimed in, 

"I'm doing fine, Rei!" The recipient of the answer smiled,

"Good, by the way... Can you meet me here tomorrow?" Rei asked as she handed a piece of paper to Shinji, but a certain ginger haired girl looked at the note too, "Why do you want to meet him there for?" She asked, everyone else in the room stared at her until she got the message. Rei awaited eagerly for Shinji's answer, "Of course, Rei," Everyone but Asuka smiled, so she left the room. Rei was infuriating, everything that came out of her mouth was monotone. And now all the attention was on Rei, "GODDAMMIT! REI IS NOW IN MY HEAD! Asuka screamed, clutching her head, "Why do I even care so much? I know I'm perfect, but something just seems off," She muttered to herself, a few minutes later Shinji and Rei walked into the quad (This area connected Misato's room, Shinji and Asuka's room and the living room) They then walked into Shinji and Asuka's room. And they spotted the red headed girl sitting on the floor, the two friends sat near Asuka (Forming a sort of V shape) Shinji was thee first to speak up, "Are you okay, Asuka?" The red head crawled away a tiny bit,

"Go away," She mumbled, the room turned eerily quiet for a few seconds,

"What do you mean?" Shinji's attempt to find an answer was shot down,

"Go away," This time it was said a little louder, but Rei could not hear it, "Erm.. Shinji? I know it's not the right time, but do you know where the toilet is?" Rei asked, 

"Next to Misato's room," The brown haired boy replied, Rei got up and left. Leaving two people in the room, "Asuka you were crawled up in a ball with a sad look on your face, what is wrong?" He said, the sentence was akin to a pencil used too many times. It took a while for an answer to come out of her mouth, but it soon came, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry."

"Are you sure?" The boy with blue eyes asked, a nod was the only answer. Shinji mouthed, "Good," And then Rei walked in, the trio was complete. Asuka got up and walked to the living room, and the rest followed. All three of them sat down, it was silent. After a while Rei decided to rest her head on Shinji's shoulder, Asuka looked over and grunted. It was drawing closer to midday, the three friends (Acquaintance, according to Asuka.) Had sat in that one spot for hours. After many minutes sitting in silence, the sound of rattling keys could be hear. The door opened to reveal a woman with long purple hair, Misato Katsuragi. She walked inside, noticing the three kids on the floor, "Oh hello, Rei!" The blue haired girl let go of Shinji. Asuka crawled up to Shinji, "Listen, I can get rid of her anytime. Just tell me!" She whispered,

"Hey! Don't say that," Shinji chuckled,

"I was only joking," Apparently, the two didn't realise that their hands were touching. They also didn't notice Misato and Rei watching them. The oldest of the four spoke up first, "Aww the happy couple is holding hands," Misato teased, the ginger girl blushed and removed her hand instantly from Shinji's, "N-no! Err uh Shinji mad e me touch his... His so- stupid hand!" Her face was bright red, Rei rolled her eyes and sat down, "Hey! You put your hand on mine!" Shinji crawled back, bumping into Rei. Misato shrugged and walked into her room, even then she could hear the two voices screaming at each other. The arguing ended for a while, the purple haired woman got changed. When she walked back into the living room, she saw Shinji, Asuka and Rei sitting on the sofa, "Seriously, what am I going to do with you two?" She flipped her hair behind her ear, "Well it's Shinji's fault for touching my hand!"

"I didn't intentionally touch it," Shinji murmured,

"Ha! Yeah right," To avoid bickering, Rei got up,

"It's getting too loud in here, I'm going to take a walk," Before she made it out the door, a boy with a basic white shirt stood up,

"Can I go with you?" Shinji asked, Rei nodded and smiled. Now there was only two people in the house, the door closed. The room was silent until... "Of course he leaves me! Why would he not?" Asuka stood up. Meanwhile, Shinji and Rei were walking around the outskirts of the city, "I had another dream, this one is kind of hard to remember..." She closed her eyes, trying her best to remember, "So I'm floating and I see a giant robot kill a boy! Isn't that scary?" Shinji paused for a moment, 

"It does sound scary..." He replied, he felt Rei grab his hand. He blushed, and the blue haired girl looked up. They stayed silent for a while, Shinji swallowed his words. The red eyed girl smiled and rested her head on Shinji's shoulder, "Shall we head back, Shinji?" Rei asked as she linked arms with him, and he nodded. When they made it back they saw Asuka looking at the note that Rei handed to Shinji, "So, Rei, may I call you Rei? I've been studying this note for a bit, you were talking about 'The tree in the park' Do you mean the tree in the park nearest to us?" Asuka inquired, Rei nodded, "I'd like to speak to you privately, Shinji go outside," The boy hesitated for a minute and dashed out the front door when he saw the angry look Asuka had. Misato had a stern look on her face, "I'll leave, but don't shout! We have neighbours," She said as she joined Shinji outside, "Now if I've seen a lot of movies, and I have, I already know what you're planning to do! But I want reassurance, so what are you going to do with Shinji there?"

"Well if you already know, there's no harm in telling is there?" Rei paused for a moment, she took a deep breath, "I'm planning on confessing my love to him," She was about to get up when,

"Why would Shinji want to be with a lifeless doll like you?" Rei turned around, "I'm going to make sure that Shinji never makes it to that stupid tree..."

"You seem awfully concerned about this, Soryuu," Rei sat down again,

"OF COURSE I AM! I want the best for Shinji, I don't want him to be unhappy!" Asuka screamed, 

"Why must you assume that Shinji won't be happy with me?" She replied, "Why can't I love Shinji?"

"BECAUSE... BECAUSE... I DON'T KNOW OKAY!?" Asuka shouted, even louder than before, then Misato burst into the room, "Oh! Hello Misato," Asuka waved awkwardly, "WHAT DID I SAY?" Misato walked back out the door. Then the two girls continued their 'Discussion'

"We're done here, Asuka," Rei got up and left. Asuka stormed into her room. Then Shinji and Misato walked back inside, and the day continued as normal (Albeit with Asuka staying in her room all day), then the night drew close. Outside of Asuka's door, Shinji stood. He raised his fist to knock on the door before lowering it, then he raised it again, without thinking, and knocked rapidly on the door, "Go away!" Was the response to this knocking, "Are you getting changed?" The boy asked,

"No! Why would you want to know? Are you a pervert or something?" Was shouted back,

"Good, I'm coming in!" Shinji burst through the door, one hand empty and the other one holding a plate of food, "I know you said you didn't want dinner, but I thought I'd give you this just in case," He said with a smile, he handed Asuka the plate, 

"But, it's cold!" She said, timidly, 

"Sorry... When you want it, I can heat it up for you," There it was again, that smile. The smile that only came out on those rare occasions, Asuka handed the plate over to Shinji, "Can you put it in the fridge, please?" He obliged, a few seconds later he returned. Asuka had fallen asleep, so Shinji carried her to her futon. As soon as he set her down, something grabbed his leg! It was a dry, cold hand. Shinji froze in fear, he turned around and looked down... It was Asuka, "Shinji... Can you sleep next to me?" Shinji blushed, "We're just sleeping next to each other! What were you thinking of!?" Asuka replied, many minutes later they fell asleep back to back. Asuka was still awake the silence was unbearable, she turned over and tapped Shinji on his back, "Are you awake?" She asked, not response, "Okay..." She wrapped her arms around him, a small smile came across Shinji's face.

The door to Asuka's room swung open, "Asuka, wake up! It's Sunday, you know what that means!" Misato sang, her eyes closed in excitement, "We're going..." She opened her eyes, "To have a fun filled day?" She saw the two children sleeping,

"AH! M-MISATO!" Shinji got up, "It's not what it looks like," Asuka got up afterwards. Everyone was silent for a few minutes, until Shinji dashed to his room to get changed out of his pyjamas. And as soon as he disappeared, he emerged. The door made a couple of noises as Shinji tried to open it, the thing was locked, "Misato, where's the key?" He asked,

"Oh! It should be in my room, let me check," Misato disappeared into her room, then emerged, "Well it's not in there... I distinctly remember putting it in there..." She sighed,

"Oh well! I guess you can't see Rei then, how sad..." Asuka said sarcastically, Shinji got a stern look, "Why are you looking at me that way, hmm?" She asked, "Give me the key, Asuka," He walked towards her, "I don't have it, why would you think I do?" She replied, innocently, 

"Asuka, can you _please _give me the key?"__

__"I keep telling you! I don't have it," She stuck out her tongue, the Shinji disappeared into Asuka's room, "H-hey! You better not be looking through my things!" Seconds later Shinji returned with the door keys, with a quick glance at Asuka he walked to the door and unlocked it._ Doing her best to disarm it, it dug into the Eva's armour, the restraints burst upward revealing vein like structures. The creature dug into every part of the Eva, soon these vein like things appeared on her as if her skin was getting tighter... It hurts, right? Isn't your heart hurt? No, it isn't in pain. Loneliness... That is what I am... Loneliness? I do not understand, you don't want to be yourself, correct? There are many of us, yet you are alone. You hate it, don't you? That is loneliness. That is your soul. That is your sorrow-filled soul. She woke up, crying. The thing was still digging into the Eva, questions ran through her mind. A monster burst out of it, then Shinji came and the thing attacked. The thing, which was previously a white tube-like creature, morphed itself into and image of Rei. And with that, she absorbed the thing within her Eva. It morphed into her and then..._ It took a while for Rei to awaken from this nightmare, "I'm not lonely," She got up, got changed and ran outside.

She ran into the meeting place, Shinji wasn't there yet but she could see him on the horizon. She eagerly waited, and it wasn't long before he arrived, "Why did you want to meet me here?" Shinji asked, suddenly Rei pulled Shinji in and their lips met. When Shinji pulled away, Rei had a massive smile on her face, "I love you, a lot," She smiled,

"I.. I" Shinji stuttered, 

"Yes?"

"I love... A- I don't love you in that way, Rei..." Shinji looked down, "We can still be friends..."

"Very well, Ikari," And the two walked off. The walk home was lonely, to say the least, Rei held her head up high and sighed. She made it to her apartment building, she saw Asuka, "Look what the cat... Brought back," Asuka approached Rei, 

"It's been a while since I've seen you here, are you moving back in?" The blue haired girl looked at the door that used to belong to Asuka, "I'm sorry, Asuka, but it seems you've been evicted... For a while actually," A long silence followed, 

"I'm not here for that... What was his answer?"

"He said no,"

"Good to know he still has standards..."

  
It was dark, a boy with the same uniform a Shinji (And most of the boys at school, save for Toji) Sat in the back of a car, "Don't cause trouble like last time," The driver said, the boy nodded and ran his fingers through his white hair. The city outside was slowly turning off it's lights, he had made it. He was home.


End file.
